Any paramedics on the board tonight?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Any paramedics on the board tonight?

Posted: 9/15/2005 11:02:00 PM EDT

I'm going to be graduating EMT school in a couple weeks, and want a little insider info on which service to attach myself to. I'm thinking about EMS rather than transporting patients from nursing home to the hospital, I guess I'll learn more that way.

What do the paramedics and firefighters think?

Posted: 9/15/2005 11:09:18 PM EDT

[#1]

I have no idea as to what ambulance services are in your area, but take a close look at them all and talk to employees who will give you an honest assessment of each service. I don't know how big private ambulance services are in your area, but often those pay better and have a few other nice things going for them that city/county run ambulance services lack.

Just be thorough and check everything.

Posted: 9/15/2005 11:09:31 PM EDT

[#2]

Stoolers and droolers (also known as Goat-toting) sucks. If you are going to do it, go 911 service.

Posted: 9/16/2005 7:26:01 AM EDT

[#3]

bump for the day crew

Posted: 9/16/2005 7:37:33 AM EDT

[#4]

If your goal is to eventually be hired by a fire dept, i'd talk to several people there. Don't just ask them what decision to make, ask them what THEY did to get hired. Then do the same. You may end up volunteering for a fire dept and working medical someplace completely different, like at a hospital in the ED. Don't reinvent the wheel.

Posted: 9/16/2005 7:50:22 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Stoolers and droolers (also known as Goat-toting) sucks. If you are going to do it, go 911 service.

+1 did both private ambulance as well as fire rescue.

private transport is all of the bullshit and PIA stuff without the occasional adrenaline dump. one of the ambulance companies i worked for also worked EMS for smaller towns. Good combination of calls but pay was DRASTICALLY lower than working EMS.

Posted: 9/16/2005 7:57:20 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
If your goal is to eventually be hired by a fire dept, i'd talk to several people there. Don't just ask them what decision to make, ask them what THEY did to get hired. Then do the same. You may end up volunteering for a fire dept and working medical someplace completely different, like at a hospital in the ED. Don't reinvent the wheel.

My goal is to get into a nursing program, my prerequisites are done in December and the programs start in September, so I figure this is a way to get some experience before I head back to school for a couple years.

Posted: 9/16/2005 7:57:53 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
I'm going to be graduating EMT school in a couple weeks, and want a little insider info on which service to attach myself to. I'm thinking about EMS rather than transporting patients from nursing home to the hospital, I guess I'll learn more that way.

What do the paramedics and firefighters think?

Where do you live?

What's your cert? (EMT1, EMT2, EMT-P, etc.)

Got any Fire Science classes under your belt?

What is your race? (human doesn't count)

If you can you should go Firefighter/Medic.

Posted: 9/16/2005 8:02:36 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
My goal is to get into a nursing program, my prerequisites are done in December and the programs start in September, so I figure this is a way to get some experience before I head back to school for a couple years.

Well if you tell them that you will never get hired. They are looking for employees that want to stay. It costs money to train firefighters. You would not be worth the investment to a lot of departments.

If you want to be a nurse, be a nurse. We have a couple of male nurses who are now firefighter/paramedics. They still keep up there certs and work part time in E.R.'s to maintain the nurse status. Good per diem and OT too.

But they are firefighters first and do not want to go back.

Posted: 9/16/2005 8:03:59 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Quoted:
If your goal is to eventually be hired by a fire dept, i'd talk to several people there. Don't just ask them what decision to make, ask them what THEY did to get hired. Then do the same. You may end up volunteering for a fire dept and working medical someplace completely different, like at a hospital in the ED. Don't reinvent the wheel.

My goal is to get into a nursing program, my prerequisites are done in December and the programs start in September, so I figure this is a way to get some experience before I head back to school for a couple years.

If it's experience you want, i'd go 911/EMS. Toting Gomers around won't give you the pt assessment experience I imagine you want. Go for the gusto.

Posted: 9/16/2005 8:30:52 AM EDT

[#10]

I have worked both 911 and private transport. I will tell you that the gomer toaters have less problems paying their bills. A 911 service needs government subsidies to pay the bills. I like your idea of getting experiance before going on the medic and nursing school. I have seen many book medics with no experiance who can't handle basic level pt. assessment. Don't sell the gomer toaters short if you work it you can fine tune your skills by the quanity of patients. BTW find a copy of "The sixty second EMT" it will help your skills.

If you are in a large city it's a war zone out there,throw in some rural area ems to round out the mix you much more about being an EMT.

Posted: 9/16/2005 8:33:55 AM EDT

[#11]

don't be an ambulance taxi. It really really sucks. Be Ricky Rescue. It's a rush, and you learn a lot fast. Problem is, the burn out rate is high. You can earn good money with overtime though.

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:15:45 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I'm going to be graduating EMT school in a couple weeks, and want a little insider info on which service to attach myself to. I'm thinking about EMS rather than transporting patients from nursing home to the hospital, I guess I'll learn more that way.

What do the paramedics and firefighters think?

Where do you live?

What's your cert? (EMT1, EMT2, EMT-P, etc.)

Got any Fire Science classes under your belt?

What is your race? (human doesn't count)

If you can you should go Firefighter/Medic.

What he said................... Go to fire school!

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:17:27 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
don't be an ambulance taxi. It really really sucks. Be Ricky Rescue. It's a rush, and you learn a lot fast. Problem is, the burn out rate is high. You can earn good money with overtime though.

+1!!!

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:30:36 AM EDT

[#14]

"BTW find a copy of "The sixty second EMT" it will help your skills."

That book was recommended to us by our lead medic too. The title refers to making an assessment FAST when time counts.

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:31:38 AM EDT

[#15]

Around here the only way to do 911 work is to volunteer or spend a few years working a nozzel first.

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:33:58 AM EDT

[#16]

Go FF/Medic and be a contract nurse on the side.

Best of both worlds. I would ahve done it, but I stood in the wrong line.

Sheep

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:45:00 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
"BTW find a copy of "The sixty second EMT" it will help your skills."

That book was recommended to us by our lead medic too. The title refers to making an assessment FAST when time counts.

A BTLS course will help here also. Quite a few people burn time on-scene doing putzy stuff that they could do while transporting.

Posted: 9/16/2005 9:45:53 AM EDT

[#18]

Do not work for the Throw-N-Go companies. For me, that would suck.

I'd suggest trying to get on with the County or City EMS in your area.

Take all the rescue type classes you can - or that appeal to you.

Be sure you look at the age restrictions. I came back to the US in 98, and at 41 years old, the City would not hire me. Think the max age was 32 or something...

And the private companies weren't paying much of anything.

EDIT:

Probably should add that I'm not a EMT-P now - all licenses expired in 1997. My NREMT-P number started with a '5' - circa 1980.

Posted: 9/16/2005 10:08:45 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I'm going to be graduating EMT school in a couple weeks, and want a little insider info on which service to attach myself to. I'm thinking about EMS rather than transporting patients from nursing home to the hospital, I guess I'll learn more that way.

What do the paramedics and firefighters think?

Where do you live?Los Angeles

What's your cert? (EMT1, EMT2, EMT-P, etc.)EMT-B, I think that's the same as EMT-1

Got any Fire Science classes under your belt?Nope, not going that way

What is your race? (human doesn't count)White

If you can you should go Firefighter/Medic.

Most of the guys in my class are going Fire... I guess that's a popular choice, but I'm going for nursing. I have nine months before nursing school fires up so this is a way to gain some experience before continuing on.

Posted: 9/16/2005 10:54:43 AM EDT

[#20]

this EMS discussion board has a job offerings forum: www.traumacentral.com

Posted: 9/16/2005 11:44:21 AM EDT

[#21]

Here, I posted this for your benefit and reading pleasure.

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=390527

FWIW, I'm firefighter/EMT

We contract out for ambulance service and ALS (adavnced life support). No fucking way would I want to work straight EMS. The working conditions suck, pay sucks and it's non-stop (at least where I work, YMMV).

Posted: 9/16/2005 2:40:57 PM EDT

[#22]

Sorta off topic:

Well, just got back on an ambulance call 10 minutes ago. We thought the guy had a broken femur, turns out it was just a wicked dislocation. You just don't know.

I am an EMT on the side, helping out when we have a medical emergency on our 500 man construction site. That might be another way to go when you get experience - EMT for a large blue collar working company.

I talked about the guy we shocked without drugs a couple weeks ago. We were not authorized those drugs by our sponsoring physician (before this event). He survived, but quit because of electrocution nightmares and all.

Posted: 9/17/2005 5:13:25 AM EDT

[#23]

get your RN, get your flight cert and go for a private rescue flight service. good money and just enough excitement to keep you happy.

i wish fire/rescue had paid worth a damn when i was in. i'd still be in it

Posted: 9/17/2005 6:13:06 AM EDT

[#24]

I work for one of the "dreaded " private ambulance services. But our situation here is a bit different then on the west coast. My company IS the ems provider for 6 cities and towns, with a population base of nearly 500,000. The "Tax payer supported services" function as first responders, and we provide ALS level care and transport. This arrangement works to the patients benifit, as well as the tax payers, the only people not happy with it are the iaff, but oy can't make evreyone happy. As far as the pay issue, these things vary by region, but I make over 60K/yr. working 2 24hr shifts/week, on a 911 truck. Plus we have a MOU with the regional Law Enforcement Council to provide a group of trained and equiped Paramedics to the SWAT team.

The above info is provided as a counterpoint to all of the Pro Fire/ anti anyone else posts.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Any paramedics on the board tonight?

General » General Discussion

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us